A Quest for Love
by Once Upon A Story 2015
Summary: Set in Storybrooke, it's a story about finding Emma Swan's true love. Planning on multiple chapters and starting out slow, but it will be a SwanQueen story. Starting out with a K rating, but might go as high as M in a few chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first Fan Fic, so I hope you like it and want more! It's going to start out slow just to build a little story and then get better. It will be SwanQueen, so if you don't like that ship please don't read and hate for it. You've been warned. Thanks! :)**

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It's a typical night in Storybrooke, or really more of an unusual night since there is finally some peace and quiet in the small town. The town's residents are happily enjoying some down time from the typical villain and monster trouble they are always desperately trying to overcome.

Regina is out with Henry getting ice cream. They haven't had much time to hang out lately with all the trouble in town. So they are enjoying what time they have together.

The Charmings are sitting with Emma and Belle at a booth in Granny's. The smell of hot coca and sense of peace is in the air. It's one of those rare occasions when people get to be worry free. Well, they should be, but Mary Margret has been looking distant and detached from the conversation.

"Snow...what's wrong?" Charming asks while gently cupping her shoulder with his hand.

"Nothing." She mumbles back. Everybody at the booth knows that means the opposite.

"We share a heart remember? I know when something is wrong." Charming says persistently.

"It's just...sometimes...I" – Mary Margret turns and looks at Emma, before continuing her thought.

"I fear for you Emma. I fear you'll never find true love." Mary Margret says quickly while turning to look down at the table.

Emma looks stunned for a brief moment, and was about to snap back with a defensive remark...but then she thought about it. What if Mary Margret was right? It's not like she's been having much luck in the love department. She thinks about Neal, and if she really loved him? How does she know what love even feels like? It's not like she grew up with loving parents to give an example.

Emma is lost in her thoughts now, just questioning everything. She thinks about how she really did like Neal, but was it love or was it just somebody to be with since there was nobody else? Course it doesn't really matter now, since Neal sacrificed himself for the town. She is more certain about Hook, she is confident she never loved him. If anything she just loved the idea of his endless pestering coming to an end. Everybody knows she just finally gave in to his insistent chasing of her. But what about -

"Emma! Are you still in this land with us?!" Charming asks with a chuckle, but a sense of worry.

"Wha- oh yeah. I was just thinking" Emma hastefully blurts out.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything!" Mary Margret sighs in remorse.

"No, it's okay...you're right I think. Maybe love just isn't in the cards for the Savior." Emma says, just realizing maybe that's part of the job and one of the sacrifices she has to make. Maybe she has to sacrifice her chance at love and happiness, so others can have theirs?

Belle who has been pretty quiet through all this has just been listening and learning, much like she always does. Suddenly she gets a look of excitement; the same look she gets when she stumbles upon a new book. She jumps out of her seat, and excitedly exclaims - "I'll be right back! Don't go anywhere!"

Emma and the Charmings look at each other in surprise. They almost forgot she was even there, but are also curious what she is so excited about. They sit there in silence just awaiting her return; they figure enough has been said...silence is probably best at this point.

After what feels like an eternity of awkward silence, the bell on Granny's door chimes and Belle comes rushing back to the table with a large book in hand. She plops it down on the table, causing the dishes to rattle.

"I remember reading something back at Rumple's castle!" Belle excitedly exclaims.

"There is a rumor of an enchanted pendant that is imbued with strong magic..." Belle continues to share. The whole table is very much interested in what Belle is saying; they are just all listening intently.

"The tale says that the pendant has the power to help locate the bearers true love; their soulmate." Belle gushes with passion. She is always so passionate when it comes to books and the stories they contain.

"How does it work?" Emma asks excitedly with a hint of hesitancy.

"Well I'm not entirely sure..." Belle is now leafing through the pages, and scanning lines with her finger. "It says here that the pendant will glow or pulse when the bearer of it is near their true love. The closer your proximity to them, the stronger it gets." Belle continues to scan the pages, looking for any more info she can.

"It also says that it will only start to work once the bearer of the pendant is ready. Whatever that means?" Belle questions with a raised brow.

"Why is everything magic related so cryptic? Would it be so hard to get answers in plain English for once?" Emma jokingly asks. She can't help but hide a small chuckle under a smile. Maybe she's just in a good mood now, this has given her something she hasn't had in a while; hope.

"I don't know…what do you think Snow?" Charming turns to Mary Margret with an apprehensive look.

"I think it is exactly what it is; just another myth." Mary Margret snaps back with frustration. She is just so over the whole magic and riddle thing.

"Well that's easy for you to say, you're in no need to find your true love. He's sitting right next to you. People in my position are more willing to try these _myths_ because we have nothing to lose." Emma goes into a rant over Mary Margret's ignorance, negativity, and lack of sympathy.

Emma turns to Belle with a smile - "Thank you, Belle. I don't know where to get the pendant, or if it even exists, but you've given me something to go on."

Still annoyed with Mary Margret, Emma gets up after thanking Belle and walks out. She just needs time alone now to process this all. Maybe a nice walk around town will help compile these thoughts and make some sense of it all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, here is chapter 2! Thank you to anybody who is still reading this. I promise the next chapter is going to have SwanQueen stuff and get better! Please stick around! :)**

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Back at the table, Belle says goodbye to the Charmings and heads out. She's hoping she can get more answers from Rumple. Once Snow and Charming are alone, they start brainstorming ways they can help Emma. After some time Mary Margret sits up straight and alert with an idea.

"I think I might have a way. It's crazy, maybe even more so than the _enchanted pendant…."_ Mary Margret looks at David, just waiting for his approval to go on.

"Well what is it Snow?" Charming asks with an eager tone.

"What if we could bring Neal back? He was Emma's only chance at true love." Mary Margret says with a concerned and desperate look.

"I don't know Snow; bringing people back from the dead is something that can't be done. You remember what happened when Dr. Whale brought Daniel back?" As much as Mary Margret hated this answer, she knew David was right. She also knew she wasn't going to drop the idea though.

Mary Margret looks at Charming with a look of determination – "We'll find a way, maybe it's time to cash in that favor Rumple owes me."

"Snow, if you insist on going forward with this I know I can't talk you out of it…but can you at least call Emma and tell her? She should know that you're planning on trying to bring back Neal." Charming is very serious about this. Mary Margret can tell he's not asking, but really telling her.

"Fine, okay I will give her a call right now if that's what you want." Mary Margret says to Charming, while taking out her cellphone.

Emma is out on her walk, trying to clear her mind when the phone rings. She is hesitant to answer it, but worries it might be something important.

"Hey, what's up Mary Margret?" Emma asks.

"I know I upset you with what I said, but I have a plan that I think might help. I'm going to try and bring Neal back for you." Mary Margret says proudly, she is starting to think that this is actually a good idea.

"….Mary Margret I don't think that's such a good idea, or even possible. Let me see where this pendant Belle told us about leads me." Emma responds to Mary Margret's crazy idea.

Mary Margret is getting agitated; she just doesn't think the pendant is worth anyone's time - "Emma, I have a feeling neither of us is going to back down out of our ideas. So I'm going to pursue this, and you can pursue your silly pendant."

"Okay, just try to keep me out of it and I don't want any zombies attacking me like the incident with Daniel. I'll talk to you later, night." Emma sighs and hangs up the phone.

As Emma hangs up the phone, she sees Regina and Henry walking down the street. She starts to walk towards them – "Hey kid!" Emma yells out.

As she approaches them, Regina glances at her watch and says with attitude - "Miss Swan, I hope you're not here to pick Henry up, by my count we still have 46 minutes left."

"Relax Regina; we don't have some official court order for custody. Tell you what actually…" Emma turns to Henry and puts a hand on his head – "How would you like to spend the night at Regina's tonight?"

Emma turns her head to Regina – "If that's okay with you, of course?"

"Of course it's okay, I don't see why you would think I would oppose to that. Come on Henry, we are going to have fun tonight!" Regina's voice is filled with joy, as much as she tries to hide it.

"Okay, well I'm off. I think I'm going to head to bed early tonight. You two have a good night and I'll see you tomorrow Henry." Emma awkwardly says kind of feeling like the third wheel now.

"Yes, good night, Miss Swan." Regina says in a thankful tone. You can tell she is thrilled with the opportunity to spend more time with Henry.

Meanwhile, Belle is at Mr. Gold's shop questioning him about the pendant. He is being stubborn like always, and not very willing to help.

"Rumple, don't make me use the dagger. Just help and please tell me what you know." Belle warns Rumple before continuing her rant.

"You've been so selfish, out of all the choices and chances you've had; you always choose the wrong one. You've ruined so many lives, can you just once help? Help for me and Emma who saved the entire town…including you?" Belle is sure this will make him cave, and she was right.

"Oh, alright. Not like it will take me any time anyway." Mr. Gold says, and with a wave of his hand a heart shape pendant appears on the counter. The pendant is all silver, but it seems worn and in the center of the heart is what appears to be glass. You can't see through the glass, it's more of a milky white color.

Belle looks in excitement, before reaching out to grab it – "Is this _the_ pendant, the one from the story?" You can hear the excitement in Belle's voice.

"Indeed it is dearie." Mr. Gold responds with a hint of arrogance.

"I'm not even surprised you have it, it seems you everything ends up in your possession. So how does it work exactly?" Bells questions Mr. Gold, looking for more info the book didn't have.

"It's simple really. The bearer of the pendant must be ready, that can mean something different for everybody. So ultimately Emma will have to figure that out. Once the bearer is ready, the center will begin to glow red and the pendant will pulse. The pulsing it like a humming." Mr. Gold continues to explain as Belle listens to every word closely.

"The closer the bearer of the pendant is to their twue wove, the stronger the effects of the pendant will get. Then they will fall in love and live happily ever after." Mr. Gold does his signature laugh.

"Thank you, Rumple. I'm going to go see if I can still catch Emma and share the good news!" Belle says, before bolting out of Mr. Gold's shop in search of Emma.

It doesn't take long for Belle to find Emma walking home. She runs up to her from behind and gushes with the good news. She explains everything Mr. Gold told her and then hands her the pendant. Emma's eyes glimmer with more hope than before. Could this be it? Will this help her find her true love?

Emma is so taken back and has so many thoughts in her head, she almost forgot to thank Belle – "Thank you Belle, I really hope this works!"

She takes the pendant, and with haste puts it around her neck. She pulls her hair out from under the chain and stares at the pendant. After about 20 seconds of nothing, Emma gets a look of discouragement.

"Don't worry Emma, remember what Rumple said. Maybe you just aren't ready yet, keep wearing it and see what happens." Belle reassures Emma in a positive tone.

"Yeah, okay. Thank you again, Belle." Emma continues her walk home, all while staring at the pendant in hopes it will do something.


	3. Chapter 3

**Well now that the story is just about all setup, we are going to be getting into the good stuff starting with this chapter. Thanks for being patient and enjoy! :)  
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The Charmings have made their way to Mr. Gold's shop; if anybody can help bring Neal back, it's him. They bust through the door and yell out "GOLD!" He appears through the curtain from the back of his shop with a look of annoyance.

"What do you two want? I'm kind of busy here." Mr. Gold questions while approaching them from the other side of the counter.

Mary Margret steps in and speaks up – "We are trying to find Emma's true love and we need your help."

"What is this, help Emma Swan find Love Day? What makes you think I'm going to help? I'm a very busy man you know…" Mr. Gold lashes back at Mary Margret.

"For one very simple reason; what I need done and if we can achieve it is something YOU want as well." Mary Margret says in a pretentious way.

"Oh? And what might that be?" Mr. Gold asks inquisitively.

"Bringing Neal back." Mary Margret says while staring Mr. Gold in the eyes; you can almost smell the smugness. She knows he can't refuse now, and she won't even have to cash in that favor he owes.

"Very well, I will help you this time and only because it is indeed something I want. Let's also be clear, I'm not doing this for you." Mr. Gold begins walking to the back of his shop – "I have everything we need to attempt this in the back, let's get started." Mr. Gold says with a sense of urgency.

"What about Neal's body? And what do you think the chance of this actually working is?" Mary Margret asks, going from arrogant to clueless.

"I can port Neal's body here, since I know where it is; right where I buried him. As to the success of this ritual, it's one of the most forbidden types of magic. Not only does it go against the forces of nature, its success rate is very low." Mr. Gold responds with attitude. He is starting to get annoyed with all the questions.

"I guess we don't have anything to lose, let's get started." Charming eagerly pipes in. He just wants this to be over; he was never too fond of this idea.

Emma is just now arriving home; she goes inside, kicks her shoes off and plops down on the edge of her bed. She falls back on the bed and sighs – "Oh what a night!" She starts thinking to herself about everything going on. What her parents are up to now with trying to bring Neal back and the pendant that isn't working. She sits up, and looks at the pendant again.

Emma closes her eyes, and mumbles to herself "I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready to find my true love!" She then slowly and hesitantly opens her eyes to take a peek at the pendant and to her dread…nothing is happening.

She decides to give up for the night and go to bed. She takes off her red leather jacket and tosses it on the chair. Followed by her white tank top and jeans before crawling into bed. She is lost in her thoughts for a good 20 minutes before finally dozing off into a deep and much needed sleep.

Now in a dream like state, Emma wakes up in her bed and turns over to find Regina staring at her. Emma is slightly shocked and confused.

"Good morning dear." Regina whispers out while reaching over to brush the hair out of Emma's eyes.

"So are you hungry? You must be after last night. What do you want? Oh how about apple pancakes? Regina asks excitedly.

Emma doesn't know what to make of this, but she just figures it's all a weird dream and decides to go along with it – "Yeah…apple pancakes sound good." She responds to the eagerly waiting Regina.

"Splendid! I'm going to poof over to my tree for the apples. In the meantime, why don't you go to the kitchen and get everything else ready?" Regina says in an authoritative way before disappearing in a puff of purple smoke.

Emma slides out of bed, gets dressed and heads to the kitchen. She starts pulling out everything they will need for their breakfast of apple pancakes. Flour, eggs, milk, bowls, anything she thinks they might need she takes out…as well as a few things they won't need. She is moving kind of sluggish, this whole thing feels weird. It doesn't feel like a typical dream, it feels so real.

Emma starts a pot of coffee; while the coffee is brewing she rests on counter and stares at everything she took out; just waiting for Regina. After a few minutes, the coffee is done and the whole place is filled with the sweet aroma.

As Emma begins to pour the freshly brewed coffee, Regina appears in a cloud of purple smoke right beside her. She has a basket of fresh apples in hand, sets them on the counter and leans in to kiss Emma on the cheek.

"Miss me?" Regina asks in an enchanting way with a smirk. She already knew the answer, but wanted to hear Emma say it.

It was strange to Emma, and yet something felt right. As much as she found it hard to believe; she did actually miss her. She felt lonely and like a piece of her heart was missing during the brief moment she was gone. "Yes…" Emma replies with a little smile.

Regina kisses the air, while looking at Emma and then starts preparing the apples. She doesn't have the patience to do everything by hand, so with a little help from magic the apples are peeled and all heated up as if they were just boiled.

"Time to mash them up now, we need them in sauce form. You know the best way to do that right? With our hands! " Regina seems very excited by this part.

Regina tosses the apples in a big bowl and tells Emma to grab the cinnamon and put a little bit in the with the apples. Emma does as she's told, gets the cinnamon and sprinkles some in with the apples. Before putting it away, she dips her finger in the container and taps Regina on the nose with her cinnamon coated finger.

"There that should add a little spice to all your sweetness." Emma tells Regina with a big grin on her face, and almost a feeling of pride for coming up with something like that. She doesn't even know why she did it, but all she knows is it felt right.

"Very funny; and dear, if I gave you all my spice I'm sure you couldn't handle it. Now let's get back to making breakfast please." Regina quips back while wiping the cinnamon off her nose.

Emma chuckles and then they both stuff their hands in the bowl and begin squishing the apples. While squishing the apples their hands touch in the bowl, and Emma can't help but like the feeling. After about a minute the apples are now thoroughly mashed and their hands are buried deep in the bowl. They both go to scrape the bottom of the bowl with their hand, and they end up meeting. Emma is taken back with the feeling. Why does she like this so much? They interlock their fingers, and pull their hands out of the bowl. They are now holding hands, which are covered in apple.

They turn their attention to each other, and just get lost in the others' eyes. Suddenly it all goes away in a flash of darkness, and Emma is woken up…


End file.
